The Sons of Darnath

The First Knights of Stormwind

"Did we feel fear? Aye we did, the fact you are asking me tells me you have never witnessed them, titans of battle. We all saw them his dogs of war, fear is an understatement... I suppose I have to tell you the truth. My men and I had been fighting off Darnaths men for weeks at the pass, slaying his Anderhiem Ravengers and the Wolf packs of Alterac but his Sons, his Sons are War incarnate First they lined up upon horse and gryphon their flag blowing in the quiet wind then they charged like a thunderous stamped their hooves blasted a deafening quake unnatural it was. Many of my men..Strongmen! faltered breaking our shield wall those with me at the front didn't stand a chance, a shower of heat and blood came unto us they blasted through slicing through our armour? using magics to crash lightning down upon us and then worst of all a firey song pierced through the battle and sent many screaming to their knees set able by its witchcraft the fire so bright I could see through my hands see the bones cracking as a hammer found my sword arm... what magic could do that? and then a thundering silence as she appeared the one they call God Fearing, her blade sunk into the ground and a divine light pierced all of us. most of us sank to our knees, I saw some men crying, I can't blame them for what warriors could do this? we heard the tales of his knights and the powers they hold but none of us thought we'd ever see them, none of us dared dread they would arrive to bring our little town into his empire. If he has such warriors at his command why do any of us fight? why do we die? when he commands a force of death and destruction? to witness them fight I think for many of us it is just beyond comprehension"
— An unknown soldiers account of a battle with the Sons of Darnath

Structure

The Sons of Darnath have a simple structure as they are all equals within their ranks. They only have ten members at any given time and each member is awarded the title of one of the original members of Darnaths honour guard. These first ten people where some of Darnaths closest friends, they were not his generals, they would only ever be allowed to be his warriors, soldiers devoted to his cause and to his protection. The ten original knights where named:

Rogal the Golden Fist
Gunthër the Lions Claw
Harold the Fire-Song
Konrad the Venom Biter
Abbath the First Frost
Jagathai the Standard-Bearer
Aratharn the Lightning-Strike
Sarah the God-Fearing
Jacoby the Lore Keeper
Kassandra the Iron Fist of the King

These titles denoted the demeanour of the original knights who bore them and in the modern-day, they are awarded to the ten knights who qualify as worthy successors. The Sons of Darnath are rarely filled with ten knights however, most commonly the titles of Lore Keeper, Lions Claw and Standard Bearer are bequeathed to worthy knights. The Standard Bearer is one for a knight who will bear the standard of the king and uphold its honour the honour of the kingdom and the house of Anderhiem for all to see, so they will know the honour, the grandeur and the strength of Kings of Stormwind. The Lions Claw is one for a knight who shows the ferocity to defend his pride, his people like that of a Lion, they are unmatched in battle attacking with the strength of a thousand men. The Lore Keeper is bestowed to one who knows the ancient lore, a knight learned in tradition and able to record the truth no matter how dark and terrible they shall be the scholar of the kingdom's history able to fight and preserve it.

Public Agenda

The Sons of Darnath are a very prideful order of knights, known to some as the first order or simply the first they are the most respected of all the knights of Stormwind. They only answer to the King of Stormwind in the past the Anderhiem dynasty they owed allegiance to the dynasty whose name their order derives its name. When the Wrynn dynasty rose to power the Sons of Darnath swore on the death bed of Anduin Anderhiem the last Anderhiem king that they would serve the Wrynn's with honour and pride and fervour as if they were his own kin. To the public these knights are the truest of all knights and embody Stormwinds defence to its fullest, when they are spotted on the battlefield all rally to them, when seen in processions the people shout with glee for they are the hope of their nation. In short, the Sons of Darnath are the embodiment of Stormwinds soul. They are Stormwinds best line of defence against the Kingdoms enemies.

History

The order has had a strange start to its founding, unlike most of the knightly orders of Stormwind their origins are not tied to a specific moment. It is known they were knighted on 23/04/36 P.D. after their regent lord darnath the Unifier received Strom'Kar from the Lady of the Lake. The origins of these ten knights are more complicated, joining the ranks of Darnath when their paths collided.

Rogal the Golden Fist

Rogal the Golden Fist, came to Darnaths side after he witnessed the Anderhiem army wipe out a calm of orcs who had been harassing Rogal's tribe since time in Memorium. Darnaths himself chased the orcs into their ancient stronghold a simple cave system where they hid when under a great threat. Here the orcs clan leader fought with Darnath and nearly triumphed over him until Rogal intervened and using Darnaths own infamous broken blade slight the warlord's throat. After this moment Rogal followed Darnath swearing to fight for the one who freed his people from the ever warring orcs. Rogal became close with Darnath due to his unique fighting style, Rogal used a large claw-like-weapon to fight like a wild animal, darting from walls and lashing out at his target. This made him and the warriors who followed him valuable for Darnaths unification, being sent as a vanguard force to test the defences of those who wold prove problematic, their lighting strikes made them a hard target to pin down and thus forced Darnaths enemies to show their hand, how they fight and thus present their weaknesses. Rogal would teach Daranath how to fight like him how to stay afar from your enemy and how to strike wildly eviscerating your foe, and as a reward for this Darnath presented Rogal with a claw of gold enchanted to harness the momentum of Rogals strikes conjuring lighting the faster he swung, and this is where the name Golden fist appeared, for on the battlefield he would be found close to the Unifier his golden fist darting around him striking any who would harm his friend.

Gunthër the Lion's Claw

Gunthër the Lion's Claw was given to darnath when the Unifier assimilated a remote human clan who worked under the gnomish Glittergem clan, who would take the firstborn child of each human from Gunthër's tribe. This was part of their history and Gunthër was given to Darnath when they swore their allegiance to him, Darnath not wanting to care for a child but needing to resolve things peacefully with Gunthër's tribe, he accepted the child into his care. Gunthër was merely 11 years of age when he was adopted by Darnath and over the years he trained with his adopted father, by his 16th birthday Gunthër was so skilled with a blade that Darnath allowed him to fight alongside him. Now, little is known of Gunthërs personality however, records do share a common theme, they tell of a man who was devoted to his adoptive father and the vision of the nation he was birthing. Thusly his passion for his father's dream and the ferocity with which he fought gave him the title of Gunthër the Lion's Claw for he would be his father's blade to protect and forge a kingdom for the Humans of this region.

Harold the Fire-Song

Harold the Fire-Song was a mysterious figure in the histories of Stormwind, very little is known about his life and even less about his relationship with Darnath. some rumours tell of a great monk who lived in the Redridge Mountains who could sing a song so beautiful the elements would obey his command. What is known is that Darnath befriended a monk who swore to aid him in his quest to unify the people of this coastland and with his serpents song his enemies would be charred into ash. Harold was the strangest of the knights his loyalties while unquestionable were strange to those looking in on the Sons of Darnath but this knight of Stormwind was skilled with tongue and fist able to master the elements with a song and capable of breaking all who stood against Darnath, he was the firey symphony whose notes would be the last many enemies of the kingdom heard and his flames the last thing they would see.

Konrad the Venom Biter

Konrad the Venom Biter, a knight whose title could not have suited him more. This man first crossed paths with Darnath when he was sent by an unknown patron to assassinate the upstart Anderhiem chieftain. Konrad's life is well documented for he lived his life in shadow and devilry but Daranths glory brought him into the Light and since then Konrad wished all to known his path so they too could see the greatness of Darnath and show them that while he was ruthless he was also merciful. Born to a drunkard father and an unloving mother Konrad hailed from the now-extinct Vanders clan. They were a people shunned from the forestlands by both humans and orcs for their dark magics and strange practices. Konrad grew up surrounded by dark magics and from a young age showed an affinity with plants particularly poisons. His youth was spent in solitude only interacting with his clansmen when was necessary, but by his teens, he had made a reputation for himself and not just within his clan. The story goes that Konrad heard voices in the night, they told him terrible secrets, the affairs, thefts, murders, cover-ups, polite lies, every secret he was exposed to. After months of these voices in his head, Konrad decided to take action against the crimes he saw as unforgivable and so he started with the murders. Konrad heard the whispers tell him of a woman who laid with another while her husband was hunting, she slew her unborn child to hide the truth from him and felt pride in deceiving her husband for he knew not this betrayal. Konrad found this family living by the side of a lake and studied them for weeks, watched their movements and habits their schedules and personalities. with his plan laid out, Konrad committed his hand to enact his justice, taking the flower of a plant that grew by the side of the lake he sneaked into their home and placed it within the open cauldron placed upon the hearth in the centre of the room. Konrad left and watched the home over the night and only left when the morning sun rose and the home remained silent evermore. Since then Konrad was sought after for his mastery of poison and death paid handsomely for his services. When Konrad was contracted to slay Darnath he sneaked with ease into his camp, and with a blade in hand, held it against Darnaths throat, but before he could slit it and take his payment the future king shone with a blinding light, a pair of platinum wings ghostly flew from his back knocking back Konrad and for the first time since he could remember silenced the voices in his head. Darnath impressed with this assassin and confused by his sudden surrender spoke with him, and as Konrad told him of the voices of his life he burst into tears confessing his wish to change from a hired blade to do more to help those in need and so Darnath knew this man would be a great tool in his arsenal for unifying his people. Konrad was given a mission to serve Darnath and should he stray from the path they spoke of he would kill Darnath, but while his goal stayed true then Konrad would be his enforcer the haunter of the night to his enemies a man who would harness fear to ensure loyalty to the king, and with that, he was given a blade soaked in the venom of a manticore, a blade known as "Venombiter".

Abbath the First Frost

Abbath the First Frost was the last of the knights to join Darnaths cause and fight for him, as he hailed from Sûitenhiem he travelled to fight with Darnath whose reputation had crossed the mountains and was spreading to the humans of the frozen lands. Abbath was a man whose entire life was shaped by war, he fought for his people until they turned their back on him for his bloodlust disturbed even their most ferocious berserkers and for years he wandered the lands of frozen lakes fighting those with his axe for food for shelter and for sport. When Abbath heard of the legendary warrior over the mountains who was slaying Orc Warlords and Dragons alike he knew he had to fight this man, Abbath met with Darnath near what is now the town of Andorhal. Their fight is one for the ages, Abbaths frozen axe sliced the air sending shards of razor-sharp ice towards Darnath who parried each one with ease, they left the golden fields of wheat plastered with ice and fire as the two fought for hours and hours until Darnath finally disarmed Abbath, who had never been disarmed who had never lost fighting his life, fell to the ground in shock. Darnath sat beside him asking his name his origins and they spoke they laughed and complimented each other for their fight, and their skills. And as had happened so many times in Darnaths life his words and Charisma won over his pendant, Abbath a man of Sûitenhiem swore to fight with Darnath the Unifier to be his axe in the storm and flurry his enemies with the Icy grip of his homeland.

Jagathai the Standard-Bearer

Jagathai the Standard-Bearer, this man came from across the shattering sea from the distant land of Phobos. Clad in the finest armour Jagathai earned Daranths favour after landing upon the shores of Kelkanor in the midst of Darnaths battle with the Hobgoblin Black Legion, disembarking Jagathai ordered his retinue to engage the Hobgoblins. After this, the two spoke and went their separate ways. Jagathai ran into Darnath several times over the next few months, new to this land and escaping his homeland he travelled the coast learning of this new up and coming King and grew to admire him from afar. Jagathai was a prince from Phobos however, after being caught with another man in his bed his father ordered that his son be executed for this crime against nature as he saw it. This led to Jagathai to flee with his sworn servants and bodyguards, who coincidentally would have suffered Jagathais fate for allowing their prince to fall into his depravity. Jagathai was drawn to Darnath for his birthing nation was one where a man was not held to any standard but his own as long as he would fight for the kingdom and its people. Wishing to join Darnaths cause to make this nation Jagathai travelled looking for a gift that would get him an audience with the great Darnath. Searching far and wide Jagathai found an ancient tomb the tomb of the left hand of Bahamut, from within its halls Jagathai retrieved a shield, the shield was said to have been inlaid with the angels of MT. Celestia feathers guarding all Lawful citizens behind its glowing bulwark. Meeting Darnath at one of the Anderhiem encampments Jagathai presented the shield and as all other followers of Darnath had done before Jagathai they spoke of law, the nation he was creating, philosophy and more by the end of it Jagathai had joined as one of Darnaths entourage. Years went on with the two sharing many long talks into the night and eventually Daranath asked his most treasured friend to bear his Standard into battle and with this honour, the noble Jagathai would always stand with his Lord and new king showing the people what was possible under the rule of Darnath the Unifier.

Aratharn the Lighting-Strike

Aratharn the Lightning-Strike, a knight of Darnaths whose origins have been lost to record, or lack thereof. What is known is that he was not a human but an elf from the forests of Silver, he fought with the Sons of Darenth crushing skulls with his hammer blessed by Garalon striking foes with lighting burning and cracking the enemy, his hammer was known to crackle with energy at the mere touch of Aratharn. It was said that where Konrad was Darnaths precise strike then Aratharn was his brute force, smashing the defences of his enemies.

Sarah the God-Fearing

Sarah the God-Fearing, perhaps the most respected of all the Sons of Darnath. Sarah was a priestess at a chapel in what is now Glasstown, as one of the first followers of Hepostrism she admired Darnaths belief in the gods and showed devotion like no other to the faith. When she took her vows and swore allegiance to one of the seven she received a vision from Bahamut telling her to protect his champion the great Darnath, and with this quest, she followed Darnath without speaking to him she followed his orders silently bringing her blade upon those who aligned against her King. It is said that her stare could turn even a gorgon to stone, she was filled with righteous zeal and married to her cause, Sarah the God-Fearing so named for she feared no one but the wrath of the gods and so battled the enemies of man with a sword glowing with the platinum dragons blessing smiting scores in the name of her king and unyielding in her allegiance.

Jacoby the Lore Keeper

Jacoby the Lore Keeper, a defective from the City of Strom he was responsible for the Ancient human strongholds fall to Darnaths forces. This scholar and warrior was infamous for his betrayal of his homeland but depending who is telling his tale he is either hero or villain. the people of Strom tell of his manipulation fo the council how he managed to slay the captains in their sleep and finally how he told Darnath the secret passages so that he may enter the city and murder its people in his bloodthirsty conquest. Others tell of a man who was so devoted to the recording of history in its truest nature, so when the council of Strom forbid him from the writing of a monstrous figure who once ruled over Strom Jacoby left to join a man who had integrity and wouldn't allow history to be corrupted. Whichever story you believe what is not up for debate is the history he wrote after the conquest of Strom, Jacoby wrote of the horrors that Daranths campaigns wrought upon the Orcs his tactics how he assassinated people who wouldn't inform to his vision of a new nation, the good he did for the people he conquered, Jacoby followed Daranth because he didn't have to request the truth Darnath himself ordered this great scholar and noble warrior to record the truth so that generations to come would see what had been sacrificed and why to build this kingdom that would keep them safe from the jaws of evil that surrounded their borders. Jacoby the Lore Keeper fought with a great hammer and carried his Librim of Galedion he would defend truth and justice in this kingdom fighting alongside the greatest warriors of their generation, while not the most experienced of the Sons of Darnath he was arguably the most important, he wrote the original laws of Darnath down and the write of Knights which all knights to this day must follow or risk excommunication from the church.

Kassandra the Iron Fist of the King

Kassandra the Iron Fist of the King, the most feared of all the Sons of Darnath she was said to be his law and his wrath. Kassandra came from the ruins of a human clan destroyed by an orc raid plucked from the ruins of her burning home by the great unifier himself since then she was eternally loyal to him. Kassandra's childhood was miserable, following Daranths war camps from village to village, battle to battle she saw the truest nature of his unification; death. Growing up around so much death she knew what it meant that Daranths vision was to unify the humans of this land make them stop their infighting and fight the dangers that threaten them all, the monsters that destroyed their homes and families just like they had done to her. At the battle of shadows hill where Daranths forces where routed she was at his war camp fetching water for the soldiers in need of care and then she saw it, the hoard of orcs defending upon them their axes bleeding fire as some cursed demon had passed them. she ran to Daranths tent where he was injured barely able to move after his battle with their war Chief, she took up his sword and at the age of 14 single-handedly rallied Darnaths wounded soldiers to fight off the hoard where she defeated their War Chief in single combat landing the final blow by ripping out his throat with her bare hands. This act of brutality cemented her as one of the Sons of Darnath, she was gifted a set of black dragon plate and two blades of the War Chief she slew ever the guardian of Daranths dream. Kassandra was named the Iron Fist of the King for when he had need of a champion to send a message to his enemies a message in blood she would be there to break their spines and force them to kneel to the true king of this land.